2013: Rabaa Massacre - Egypt (at least 600 killed)
2014: Bentiu Massacre - South Sudan (at least 200 killed)
2015: Baga Massacre - Nigeria (at least 2,000 killed)
2016: Tokhar Massacre - Syria (at least 100 killed)
2017: Reina Nightclub Massacre - Turkey (39 killed)
It is February 13th, 2017 today. There have only been 44 days so far in the year 2017, and on January 1st, there were already 39 fatalities and 70 injuries - because of one man.
Death is not a topic most people like to discuss. For the most part, individuals in America are preoccupied with the political realm ever since Donald Trump took over the White House. But the truth is, I don't want to see the fighting anymore. I don't want to log onto Facebook to see a conservative bashing a liberal, or vice versa. I don't want to hear the phrase "ban all Muslims." I don't want to see "Defund Planned Parenthood." And I most certainly do not want to hear "____ killed in _____ today," on the news anymore.
My heart hurts. It hurts for those who are bleeding both mentally and physically. It hurts for the environment, and the way that humans are destroying it every minute of the day. It hurts for my friends who are labeled and mistreated on a regular basis for the color of their skin, the way they dress, the gender they identify with, or their sexuality. It hurts for those single mothers who are struggling to support their children because they cannot hold a job and raise them at the same time. It hurts for those fighting disabilities or diseases without the proper funding to do so. It hurts for the millions of homeless worldwide. It hurts for the children and adults who are killed at alarming rates on a daily basis in countries all over the globe.
The older I get, the more so it seems that the world is falling in on itself. In my heart, I feel as though peace is the one true answer to creating a better world; it is also one of the most difficult things to obtain. I don't want to stop fighting the fight for peace, but it seems like all around me, people are either giving up or fighting against me. To me, it is clear what we must do: help others in every way that we possibly can. Because if we do not, then I fear humanity will fall into a void - one in which there is no way to get out of.
There will be no easy fix for the state in which our globe is currently in. Both good and bad people exist in this world, and that is how it has always been. But we also have to try and tip the scale: good must outweigh evil, especially when it seems that we are in the darkest hours.
I don't want to see a raising death toll anymore. I don't want to feel the earth crumbling under my feet anymore.
I advocate for peace. I do not condone the killings: the acts of terrorism, the shootings, the suicide bombings, the wars. There is a better answer - and here's to hoping we find a way to live in happy unity one day. It is up to us to write the future.
2017: Reina Nightclub Massacre - Turkey (39 killed)
Let there be a more bloodless event worth remembering at the end of this year.
RIP to the lives already lost, being lost, and to be lost.
